Stephen Hawking joins academic boycott of Israel
Physicist pulls out of conference hosted by president Shimon Peres in protest at treatment of Palestinians
Professor Stephen Hawking is backing the academic boycott of Israel by pulling out of a conference hosted by Israeli president Shimon Peres in Jerusalem as a protest at Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Hawking, 71, the world-renowned theoretical physicist and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, had accepted an invitation to headline the fifth annual president's conference, Facing Tomorrow, in June, which features major international personalities, attracts thousands of participants and this year will celebrate Peres's 90th birthday.
Hawking is in very poor health, but last week he wrote a brief letter to the Israeli president to say he had changed his mind. He has not announced his decision publicly, but a statement published by the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine with Hawking's approval described it as "his independent decision to respect the boycott, based upon his knowledge of Palestine, and on the unanimous advice of his own academic contacts there".
Israel Maimon, chairman of the presidential conference said: "This decision is outrageous and wrong.
"The use of an academic boycott against Israel is outrageous and improper, particularly for those to whom the spirit of liberty is the basis of the human and academic mission. Israel is a democracy in which everyone can express their opinion, whatever it may be. A boycott decision is incompatible with open democratic discourse."
HenryKrinkle posted:
the intel israel people always try to act like the whole company is based out there, when its really like 7500 ppl out of 100,000+ total. one fabrication plant, one of the architecture groups, and what is essentially a marketing group. the ppl who designed stephen hawking's stuff are from oregon! 
getfiscal posted:einstein was almost the first president of israel... and this is how steve repays him?
einstein was offered the job and turned it down, that doesn't mean he was "almost" something
Goethestein posted:einstein was offered the job and turned it down, that doesn't mean he was "almost" something
more antisemitism from goatschwein
Panopticon posted:einstein was an idiot fucker
actually he invented atoms, which are the building block of the universe, sort of like bricks in god's building of life.
getfiscal posted:Panopticon posted:einstein was an idiot fucker
actually he invented atoms, which are the building block of the universe, sort of like bricks in god's building of life.
Wow, you are an actual anti-semite.
Lessons posted:Israel Maimon
"You cant make this stuff up!" --Vivec Chimer